Methods: Cross Sectional Method

Question 1

What type of participant design does a cross-sectional method use?

Answer 1

Independent groups design

e.g. patients at different stages of their illness or treatment program and compare their behaviour

Question 2

How is data collected in a cross-sectional method?

Answer 2

Interview, observations, experiments etc.

Ideally collecting qualitative and quantitative data

Multi-method

Question 3

Why are cross-sectional methods used in clinical psychology?

Answer 3

Can compare multiple people taking treatment for Sz for different periods of time to look at the effects

Question 4

What is an example of a study that uses a cross-sectional method?

Answer 4

Bartram (2009) studied the mental health of vets using questionnaires

Vets at different stages of their training and careers were compared at a particular point in time

Question 5

What are the strengths of a cross-sectional method?

Answer 5

Quicker than longitudinal

Findings more current

Less attrition

Question 6

What are the weaknesses of a cross-sectional method?

Answer 6

Cohort effects

Purley descriptive

Patient history

Question 7

Why is being quicker than longitudinal a strength of a cross-sectional method?

Answer 7

Therefore less commitment is needed from the researchers and less funding is needed

Question 8

Why are findings being more current a strength of a cross-sectional method?

Answer 8

Findings are more current so the researchers are getting data almost immediately

Question 9

Why is less attrition a strength of a cross-sectional method?

Answer 9

Doing research straight away and not over a long period of time, therefore people are less likely to leave the sample

Question 10

Why is cohort effects a weakness of a cross-sectional method?

Answer 10

Only one-year group has experience in something (individual differences) could affect data collected

Question 11

Why is being purely descriptive a weakness of a cross-sectional method?

Answer 11

Purely descriptive in nature and therefore would not be useful in finding out the cause of a mental disorder

Question 12

Why is patient history a weakness of a cross-sectional method?

Answer 12

Because they are a snapshot of a time in someone’s life they do not gather information about the patient’s history or how their illness may progress